Can The Military Lead the Way to Smarter Energy?

The U.S. military has deep resources, incentives to innovate, and a history of developing groundbreaking technologies that have spilled over into market-changing private sector applications. What can be learned from the Department of Defense when it comes to developing smarter, more renewable energy solutions? Do military ideas or technologies exist that can provide important lessons for the private sector?

While private companies continue to compete to develop more effective and cheaper solar panels, wind turbines, biofuels, energy management technology, and more, the DOD’s operational and strategic needs are also catalyzing innovation in ways that could have broader impacts on the energy sector.

Listen to the archive as our panelists explore some examples of the most exciting energy technologies at the U.S. Navy, where the greatest opportunities for knowledge-sharing lie, and whether the military can serve as a model for innovation elsewhere. We cover:

• What are the DOD’s goals when it comes to energy, and how do these overlap with those of the energy industry?
• Can DOD ideas offer lessons for improving energy sustainability more broadly?
• What are the challenges and economic obstacles to bringing a DOD-innovated idea to market?

Featuring:

Thomas W. Hicks
Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy

Samuel Thernstrom
Co-Director, ASU’s Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes

Judy F. Marks
President and CEO, Siemens Government Technologies, Inc.

 

Matthew Stepp
Senior Analyst, Information Technology & Innovation Foundation